It is common practice to ship and store cigarette packages in cartons. Conventional or standard cigarette cartons ordinarily hold ten packages, each package containing about 20 cigarettes. The packages are usually arranged into two relatively superposed rows of 5 packages each. Such standard cartons are often made from paperboard blanks, which are folded to completely encase the cigarette packages and are provided with glued flaps. Examples of cartons for ten packages of cigarettes are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,752,308 to Begemann; 4,738,359 to Phillips, Jr., and 4,903,844 to Oglesby, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
It is also known to ship and store cigarette packages in cartons having openings or removable portions to enable easier dispensing of the packages contained within. Such cartons are often made from paperboard blanks folded to encase the cigarette packages. Examples of such cartons for ten packages of cigarettes are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,553 to Venable et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Individual jurisdictions require the application of a tax stamp to each package of cigarettes sold in the respective jurisdiction. Typically, the distributor or jobber in the jurisdiction receives the cartons from the manufacturer, unseals the flap of carton, which is sealed with a fugitive adhesive, applies the tax stamp to each package of cigarettes, and then recloses and reseals the carton. In order to minimize the time, labor and expense associated with tax stamping of the packages within the carton, various automated tax marking or stamping machines have been developed. Such tax marking machines automatically print or otherwise affix tax stamps to packages within the carton. Tax stamping machines which are most commonly employed by distributors and jobbers include the VL-10, SSM, SSMP, Tax Stamp Applying Machines which are available from Meyercord, Carol Stream, Ill.; and the CSU 120 or DTS Cigarette Tax Stamping Machines which are available from R.E.D. Stamp, Wyoming, Mich. Accordingly, the dimensions and construction of the standard cigarette carton have been established by the tax stamping machinery customarily employed by the distributors, wholesalers and jobbers who tax mark the cigarette packages prior to retail sale.
A manufacturer desiring to provide cigarette packages in non-standard sized or shaped cartons is forced to pay to have the individual packages hand tax stamped. Alternatively, the manufacturer can package cigarette packages in standard sized or shaped cartons for tax stamping and handling, and then manually load the tax stamped packages into non-standard sized or shaped cartons. However, a manual method for providing non-standard sized or shaped cartons of packages cigarettes is time consuming, laborious, and expensive.
As disclosed in Modern Packaging, (1947), half carton packs have been provided using a three sided paperboard collar and cellophane wrap such that the bottom of the cigarette packages are exposed for tax stamping. As disclosed in the previously incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,359 to Philips, Jr., cigarette packages can be contained in half cartons which can be tax stamped while in a master carton and later removed from the master carton for sale. Additional methods for packaging cigarettes into smaller packages can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,158,178 to Cobler; 5,193,674 to Cobler et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A heat shrinkable carton of cigarette packages with a frangible access panel that is removed for tax stamping can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,312, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A paperboard carton of cigarette packages having a major portion of the package ends exposed for tax stamping can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,244, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.